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Sarah Palin and Princess Di
L to R: Tim Graham / Getty Images, The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry / AP Photo
The governor's bizarre ‘I quit’ moment brought to mind another memorable celebrity meltdown.
Perhaps it’s time to stop analyzing Sarah Palin as a politician. Maybe, in her own muddled way, she is at last owning up to the fact that she has been miscast. You don’t need politics anymore once you’ve discovered that the alchemy of celebrity has turned you into a 24-carat phenomenon. The McCain vice-presidential pick was her American Idol moment. It allowed the world to see that a raw Alaskan governor who was a forgettable student of five different colleges was a megawatt star who could light up an arena and rope line. That revelation has plunged her into chaos.
Of all the politicians who invoke a renewed desire to “spend more time with their families” as their careers go down in flames, Palin is the one politician who could have uttered those words and been believed.
Palin is clearly terrified. Her M.O. is to cloak her terror in grandiosity. Both shine through in the suppressed hysteria of her increasingly strange appearances before the camera. That precipitous, wacky, overcaffeinated aria on the back lawn of her house on the eve of the Fourth reminded me of another memorable moment in the chronicles of celebrity—a speech the unraveling Princess Diana made in December 1993. “Over the next few months,” the princess announced to a startled audience at a luncheon to benefit the Headway National Injuries Association in London, “I will be seeking a more suitable way of combining a meaningful public role, with hopefully, a more private life. I hope you can find it in your hearts to understand and give me the time and space that has been lacking in recent years.” Then she burst into tears.
Sarah Palin’s bow-out speech was the stylistic opposite of Diana’s simple cri de coeur, but its emotional twin sister. She rambled through a manic, off-topic hymn to the bravery of the troops and lingered over the primacy in her life of her beloved Alaska, which she was in the process of abandoning. But the speech I suspect was in her heart was a weepy “time and space” declaration very like Diana’s.
Of all the politicians who invoke a renewed desire to “spend more time with their families” as their careers go down in flames (try Mark Sanford’s Fourth of July at home on Sullivan’s Island with Jenny—that couldn’t have been pretty), Palin is the one politician who could have uttered those words and been believed—by her public, and also by plenty of people outside “the base.” She is not only a beleaguered governor of a troubled state, who is pretending to be interested in gas pipelines and “championing ethics reform” while in the middle of a cascade of ethics charges. She is also a mother trying to deal with a Down syndrome baby boy, a needy 7-year-old girl, and a teenage daughter who is herself an unwed mother with an infant whose father, a teenage self-described “redneck,” has turned out to be as fond of the red light on the TV camera as his erstwhile mother-in-law-elect.
The Right Dumps Carrie
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
Sarah Drops the Act
Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
Palin's Gold Mine
Duff McDonald is a contributing editor at New York magazine and a former contributing editor at Condé Nast Portfolio. His book, Last Man Standing, about Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, was published by Simon & Schuster in October.
Sarah Drops the Act
Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
Sarah Palin, the Musical
Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
Hillary Finally Doffs Her Burqa
Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
Why do women hate women so much? and your comment on how she went to five colleges... You know, not everyone has the fortune of being able to afford Harvard or Yale, she had to work for her career and she has never stopped working and raising a family. Still, she made it and even became an extremely popular governor in her state. You, the media, are trying to kill this woman, why? Is it because she is popular and even has the audacity to be a beautiful woman? What is it with you in the media and especially the women??? It takes the same amount of time to look for the good as it does to look for the bad, why do you only look for the bad (or make it up) when it relates to Sarah Palin? You all really need to get a life!
The reason that many people dislike Sarah Palin is not that she is a woman - its that she is both ignorant and arrogant - a very annoying combination. Also going to 5 colleges to complete 1 degree has nothing to do with going to Harvard or Yale, its a reflection that she does not have the drive to complete things that she starts - we saw that trait again last week.
going to 5 colleges does not make someone ignorant. I hope you never get in a situation in life where you are harrassed to death.
There are many reasons for people to change schools: lack of money, change in major, change in circumstances, etc. Not all of them have to do with lack of ambition or drive. Sometimes it happens. However, Palin doesn't seem to have the common sense and brains it takes to perform in the political arena. She keeps making ridiculous mistakes that would eliminate any man from serious consideration. The fact that she is an attractive woman is her only salvation. Conservatives who idolize her are seriously deluded.
Right, and the reason that Obama supporters disliked Hillary Clinton was because she...was obviously intelligent, competent, a longtime fighter for their causes, and...has lots of drive...
No, the left just hates women. Proven beyond dispute in 2008.
Right, because all those descriptions (ignorant, lack of drive) apply to Hillary Clinton, who left-wingers just LOVED.
Oh wait.
No, left-wing Obama supporters have women. Proven once and for all in Jan-Nov 2008.
The left does not hate woman, that prize goes to conservatives who want women in their place. I liked both Hilary and Pres. Obama, had no respect for Palin, and I am a woman. Sorry I could not help you out with your theory, Jamal
Well said! She was and always will be an idiot; a "beauty" contestant who believed that if you answer a question "pageant style" (give long, rambling crazy non-answers) with a wink and some sassy, shoes, the judges won't notice how stupid you are. Brains don't count on the beauty pageant circuit; unfortunately for Sarah, brains matter a lot in politics.
Cbeenthere, the left does hate women. You may be the exception, but the fact is the left trashed both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin and the two could not be father apart in terms of personality, experience, and ideology.
What they have in common is that they were women who were bashed and trashed by the mainstream media and the rabid left. Which shows that the left hates women.
Actions speak louder than words.
@DKJamal: Speaking of that ignorance/arrogance combo...
How's this one, DKJamal? "The right just hates black people." Ridiculous assertion, right?
Until women quit playing the role of the victim, they are unfit to lead the nation. When it takes anyone 6 years and 5 different college to get a 4 year undergraduate degree, it is going to raise questions that any man on a VP ticket would have had to have answered. Going to 5 different colleges may not make someone ignorant but it is a costly way to get an education and having had experience with college students it typically signifies academic or personal problems.
If Palin had been a man, she would have been laughed off the political stage long ago. She is inarticulate and unable to demonstrate the knowledge of government that one would expect from an eleventh grade student. Women who try to demand special consideration because of their gender do great harm to the equality that many of us have fought to receive. So yes, Palin was an insult to many bright, educated, hard working conservative females.
You hit the nail on the head - Sarah Palin is ignorant and arrogant, a narcissist of the first degree. She is so self-absorbed that she is totally out of touch with reality. Sarah lives in la-la-land . . .
AND for whatever bizarre reason, despite her ignorance and arrogance, people are willing to hand her MILLIONS to spew her particular brand of crazy.
to xlntcat esp.:S. Palin is not representative of women (or fit to represent them or anyone else) and the "playing the role of victim" is an asinine comment.
Damn sad for the Repug.s that she may be the best they can find!
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
The reasons that *I* hate Sarah Palin, and they have nothing to do with the fact that she's a woman:
1. She can't speak in coherent English sentences.
2. When she has a problem, she blames it on someone else.
3. She aspires to positions that require (in my mind at least) a genuine interest in policy and management of public services, but she displays no real intellectual curiosity.
Oh my!! You just described George W. Bush!
Birds of a feather.
Hating anyone for the reasons you stated is pretty ignorant. Why do liberal women spend so much of their time hating?
At least she's better looking than W. LOL.
Let's just start with the problem of blaming someone else: every single one of Obama's decisions has been either introduced, evidenced, or concluded by blaming Bush. So that's a no-go right there.
In the vice presidential debate, Biden spoke very well. He also lied very well, at least to the degree that he misrepresented reality. He said that the US had gotten Hezbollah out of Lebanon. Except that Hezbollah has representatives in parliament. So it's ok for our politicians to lie, as long as they sound convincing and are articulate about it. Whereas Palin, who might not have intellectual curiosity, but is in fact grounded in reality and is a decent decision maker, is dumb. Our current president has never released his college transcripts, wrote nothing for the Harvard Law review, doesn't know where he put 7 years worth of IL state senate documentation and is co-dependent on a teleprompter. Now, I'm *not* saying that Palin is hiding some gem of brilliance. But for all the sniping in this blog, she was mayor of a town, got elected governor, served as chair of the Governor's association natural gas and oil committee, and, oh my, is actually consistent in her values and beliefs--many of which I disagree with. This is a lot better than Obama "I can't throw Wright under the bus" then did. Or Obama who is currently supporting a president turned dictator in Honduras, or who bows to the King of Saudi Arabia and apologizes to the world for everyU.S. mistake since the dawn of time.
Our country simply likes people who are mostly articulate, teleprompter notwithstanding, and who agree with someone whose values are similar, even if the implications for policy hurt the country.
There is a poor choice of words here. The real verb to be used is not "hate;" rather, it is "despise."
I agree, what does any of this have to do with her being a woman. Even Ms Brown's last graph references how this is a sad reflection on how we treat women in politics.
I agree, because if this were a man NO ONE would be cutting him slack. Are we supposed to handle her with kid gloves because she is a poor little girl who couldn't handle the mean press picking on her? NO WAY! It would be sexist not to skewer her like anyone else who would run for governor then quit because everyone was being mean? Jesus H Christ!
Ladies you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want to be treated no different than a man, I don't want to see you quiting high profile positions because they are too tough!
johnwr3--
I'm not a liberal. I just don't like stupid/ignorant/inarticulate politicians. And I suppose "hate" is a strong word.
I find her embarrassing.
I'm sure that if Sarah Palin had used a teleprompter just like Obama, then the media would have gone after her for being methodical and robotic and not being hershelf. When she speaks from her heart and off the cuff then she is ridiculed for rambling. Lets have Obama speak off the cuff and see how he does.
It's not that women hate women--we just get frustrated with the women who set us back years when we've worked so hard to get even as far as we are today. When a "comely" woman such as Palin tries to advance so high--to a heartbeat away from the presidency, no less--based solely on her looks and charm, that's disheartening to all the hardworking, truly intelligent women who slog along in the trenches and do the heavy lifting. I'm not saying a woman can't be both smart and attractive--Mrs. Obama is the shining example of just that, for instance--but you have to have the brains to get the job done. Palin doesn't have those--or at least we've not seen evidence of them yet. What's worse, she doesn't seem interested in acquiring the knowledge needed to actually do the high-office jobs she seems to chase after. She's content, so far, to just coast along on looks and charm, winking and smiling her way to the national stage.
So it's not that we hate women--we just despair of the ones who are contributing to the stereotype of women being vapid, ditzy, and incapable of doing a good job at whatever it is they're doing. It's still a man's world, and women who act the way Palin acts isn't helping women get ahead in it.
Your comment tells us more about you than Ms. Palin. She did >>not<< try to advance solely on looks and charm, and it is demeaning to women everywhere to say that. She offered a view of the world with which many resonated, and she was a scrappy fighter. She was not ready for prime time, but you know, by the time she got to the debate with Joe Biden, she fought him to a draw - and that was only because he benefited from about ten whopping misstatements to buttress his own cozy conceit. He is more of a blowhard than she is. Michelle Obama has her own ethics considerations - like tripling her salary at the University of Chicago within a year of her husband becoming a senator, or her phony "I can relate to your pain" comments to struggling women, comparing her $300K income to their $30K income. Palin rose too fast, and she is not a good candidate for higher office but your comments about getting by on charm and looks are vapid and ditzy in their own right.
springsjulie
I agree with you as a women who had a rough time in the trenches. Additionally, I did not agree with her policies. Anyone who needed the backing of a divisive group to become mayor of a small town, and takes another of her board members down on an ethics complaint stating she was the one to deal differently in politics, and does not-- was not hate, but a no brainer
I think that men started the theory that women hate women.
So a woman who has a family and is the governor of the biggest state in the Union has set women back? What's just so funny is that your argument is contradicted by the fact that Palin *did* get ahead in Alaska....you know, mayor, governor, etc. Unless those don't count?
Please define "truly intelligent." Can you find Bahrain on a map? What's the capital? As for Mrs. Obama, she got a promotion at the U of C Hospital, by coincidence, just after her husband was elected US Senator. Or Hillary Clinton capitalizing on her time as First Lady to run for Senator- from New York, a state that wasn't even her home (as opposed to IL or PA, where she had lived before AR) That doesn't set women back, riding on your husband's popularity?
As for the notion that (Palin)"she doesn't seem interested in acquiring the knowledge needed to actually do the high-office jobs she seems to chase after," you'll at least need to explain how she got the knowledge for Mayor and governor.
I'm glad to learn that a female politician who hunts, runs marathons, and is a mother of 5 is the stereotype of vapid and ditzy, and of course, is obviously incapable of doing a good job.
I disagree with a lot of her values (I'm pro-Choice, gay rights, etc) but I admire her for getting to where she is. You know, without a famous husband and without a degree from a private liberal arts college.
As always, Ms. Brown has captured the issue perfectly. This is a balanced, fair, and astute analysis of the whole Sarah Palin phenomenom. I especially loved Ms. Brown's phrase "so cocky in her ignorance". I wish you would write more often and more words, Ms. Brown!
As a woman, I prefer to see smart, articulate, qualified women seeking powerful positions in politics or business. 4 colleges to get a degree in journalism and she cannot put together good sentence structure! Looks are fine...they get you noticed and even get you a job...but you have to have something between the ears. Once again the Right knocks college education in favor of what? Do you seriously believe we, as a country, would be a great as we are with half witted, uneducated people without an ounce of intellectual curiosity about the world at the helm? I think not.
What does affording college have to do with atttending five of them? It cost her just as much to go to five as it dit to go to one.
Please, not this tired line again. Did women slog Michelle Obama? Think not.
Palin is a target because she is a self-righteous prig. Like many politicians, she may well have started with good intentions, but then lost her ethical way. It happens. Alot.
Nice article. Too bad that, no matter how asinine and irrelevant a comment is, if it's the first one, everyone seems to reply to it.
"has the audacity to be a beautiful woman" - So her being beautiful is due to her "audacity"?? Um...what? Is Hillary Clinton's lack of physical beauty due to a lack of audacity? This statement is breathtaking in its idiocy.
No one's trying to "kill" Sarah Palin, you slow-witted dunce, we just don't want such an unwieldy and ignorant person in the government. Stop trying to read into it so much.
"It takes the same amount of time to look for the good as it does to look for the bad" - Actually, you ass, it takes much more time to look for the good (in this case) because there's much less of it to be found. It's very very easy to find things wrong with Sarah Palin, because she has more flaws and is much much less-qualified and less-informed than anyone else in government now.
If anyone expresses any unfavorable opinion on Palin (a right that is tantamount to this nation), you just jump in and say "you hate women" or some other irrelevant nonsense. Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, people don't like her because she a spineless, bumbling sow that couldn't form a coherent sentence if her life depended on it? I don't care how she looks or if she's got a penis, I just care that she's not qualified to govern. Way to miss the point entirely.
Typical republican behavior: grossly exaggerate stated opinions and blow everything out of proportion because you're not smart enough to understand the intent; fabricate opinions that are entirely innocuous to make your adversary look bad because you can't form any intelligent case; spout these "findings" out the mouth with the conviction of a religious zealot... and you truly are anti-American, because right now, here on this forum, you are explicitly attempting to oppress free speech. You're a horrible American and don't deserve your freedom (and neither does Bill O'Reilly).
And yeah, switching schools is sometimes necessary, but switching FOUR times? Come on guys. Do any of you "informed republicans" actually know what her degree is in? I won't write it, go look it up, that way you'll remember it. (hint: it's not political science)
Jamal says "What they have in common is that they were women who were bashed and trashed by the mainstream media and the rabid left. Which shows that the left hates women." - astounding leap of logic there. So the mainstream media (which is composed of both parties, and criticized all candidates across the board) criticized two presidential candidates who were women. Therefore we can conclude that the left hates women. Yes, that makes sense. Oh, by the way, which of the two parties is it that thinks a women should be forced to deliver a child even if she was raped and/or will die from the pregnancy? Hm... "Actions speak louder than words." Yes they do. But words still speak, and yours show that you haven't an iota of intelligence.
Why focus debate on something that you KNOW is a non-issue? Why wouldn't you want to discuss constructively and actually try to make this nation the best it can be? Typical conservative extremism here. Whenever I encounter people like you, half of me wants to plead with the human I know that exists within you to exercise your ability to think critically and use logic along with compassion to cultivate a better nation for everyone; the other half wants to choke the life out of you because I know you're utterly hopeless and so narrow-minded in your "views" that you'll always be a biggot. Your type of thinking is sickening and truly is "killing America" if anything is.
Palin stepping down is the smartest thing she's ever done and probably will ever do. Even though I dislike many things about her, I applaud her for finally displaying some humility... and I jeer the rest of you for taking it like a toddler whose been robbed of his candy.
Bravo! or should that be Brava? Whichever, way to go.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now, I don't have to respond because you said it all for me. You hit all the points dead on.
THANK YOU, ncopas. *applause* *applause*
thanks!
Dead on.
Amarissa,you are so right.Did you see women runout when she was called,a slut with the airline hostesses.I know it was a joke.what a funny joke.!!!Just like Imus,but Imus realized the party was over for those jokes.It almost cost Lettermen his job.also.but this women is such a force,that they post 313,and on this blog,and today we are up to 85,on this article..She has been so torn,shredded by the media, it is a joke.From day one,they hated her,or others loved her.And the more they talk about her,write about her,she grows stronger.Let me make clear,I am not from her base,nor would vote for her.But my opinions of her politically,and why I do not like her,have nothing to do with insulting her.Slowly alot of men and women are taking a look at her.The hatred of the left has made her a star.Bigger than anyone could have done.!!Just like Hillary,she was so hated by the right,it was the same.She is going places. i dont know if she will stay in politics.But she is not dissapearing.
The difference between Hillary and Palin is that Hillary has intelligence. Palin appeals to the under educated and the far right who will follow anyone who spreads their ideaology. Hillary has staying power BECAUSE she has smarts; Palin will eventually fade because she is tiresome and some other right wing opportunist, flavor-of-the-month will come along spouting the same old rhetoric.
maytenth,lukeliberty,so right so true.I like Michelle O,but boy did she change her song and dance and got it better ,after her disastrous first speech.damage control.
Palin's having attended five different colleges in order to obtain a single bachelor's degree is relevant because she clearly had no coherent education. She was hardly at one place long enough to learn anything, and sadly this is demonstrated by her performances in public. Although, come to think of it, it doesn't seem that she learned much in high school either. Basic civics. History. English grammar.
Give me a break. I hate stupid men politicians as much as I hate Sarah Palin. That's the difference between conservative leaning women and progressive minded women; progressive women know that it is acceptable to criticize women in politics for their moronic moves and it doesn't mean that it is based in jealousy or some ridiculous idea that the woman politician is "beautiful". Amarissa, start thinking as a progressive woman and stop spewing the garbage that the male leaders of your conservative party force down your throat!
I'd like to know what they teach in those 5 colleges. One would hope that if you have completed a university degree, even if it were at Bo Diddley Tech, you would know that Africa is a continent, not a country.
Now that I think about it though, there were a lot of hotties at my alma mater that might not know that. Perhaps Sarah was one of those.
Sarah Palin quits and nobody can figure it out. Why? I can explain her decision easily. "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here."
It's not about having the money to go to Harvard and Yale -- many people go to community colleges and still do well professionally.
Also, Amarissa, the media didn't write Sarah Palin's rambling incoherent resignation speech. She did.
Firstly, women don't hate women-such an outlandish statement is made when one cannot intelligently address an issue.
Secondly, the media isn't trying to destroy this "women." Indeed, if not for the media, this "woman" would not have a lucrative book deal; would not have the potential to make millions of dollars on the lecture circuit-the media made this "woman" a bankable commodity. If not for the media reporting on her blooming idiocy, her 15 minutes of fame would have been up months ago.
Finally, millions of students can't afford an Ivy League education; yet, unlike Palin, they are stable and committed enough to select a college/university and a major and see it thorough to the end. Palin's bounce through five colleges and universities and multiple majors is indicative of the capricious and impulsive behavior that culminated in her abandoning her job as governor of Alaska only 2 years into her term. None of the schools Palin attended were exceptionally expensive (Hawaii Pacific, North Idaho College, University of Idaho, Matanuska-Susitna College, back to University of Idaho) and "general studies" isn't a major so the excuse that one of the poster is making that some majors are so expensive that they are reason to transfer is bogus. Further, Palin's initial major, business administration, is no more expensive than the major she finally settled on: journalism.
Spin it all you want, there is no denying that over the years Palin clearly demonstrated a lack of intellectual curiosity, political knowledge, stability, commitment, and dependability for public office. The GOP faithful may excuse her behavior, but the Independent voters like my husband will not-and all the political analysts will tell you that it's the Independents who count in the elections.
We don't hate Sarah Palin. We just wonder why she accepted the VP nomination without realizing what she was getting into. That says something about her personality. Someone said, she didn;t know what she didn't know and that says it all. However, I think she will do well from here on out. She can be a good speaker when she sticks to a script (no rambling) and I predict she will become a speaker at conservative events.
Women just take a moment and think:
How many Tina Browns have you known? The womem who are mean girls even in middle age and onward.
Women who have special hooks for the woman she doesn't like and that is just about any women who threatens her beliefs about herself.
Tina you have a special and frightening ability to latch onto hate for certain women. I hope women will think about encouraging this behavior, as it is easily turned on ANY woman.
DKJamal
Right, and the reason that Obama supporters disliked Hillary Clinton was because she...was obviously intelligent, competent, a longtime fighter for their causes, and...has lots of drive...
No, the left just hates women. Proven beyond dispute in 2008.
Reply! SPOT ON!
female hatred was always there, but in 2008, women in liberal media, signed on to this female hate and the GLOVES are off.
Women sunk women this year! There are great new web sites to take on the media bashing of women. Put your support behind them; it is the only way to end this! TNA, Femisex, Unapologetic Feminist, Reclusive Leftist, all great places that are fighting back at media's sexism.
What does going to 5 colleges have to do with Harvard and Yale? The point is that she had an ambivalent approach to her education, as manifested by the fact that she went through 5 different schools and a similar number of majors. And I don't believe she was working at that time, unlike many of the students at Ivy League schools. What I want to know is when did a dedication to higher education, Ivy League or not, become branded as "elitist" and therefore, bad? And why is it that after all these years, women are still defined by their appearance rather than their intellect, social contributions and substance. Even Palin's fans refer to her "beauty" as though that is a job qualification. Talk about sexism and worse, misogyny.
This is America, where you can only succeed if you went to an ivy league college!!! I thought I lived in a country that rewarded success regardless of how you get there as long as its legal. Last time I checked, it is still legal to attend 5 colleges. Of course, all these assumptions are pre Obama.
The only reason she is attacked is because the left fears her. Period. There is no other reason.
Of course it's legal to attend 5 colleges. It's just a bit concerning that even after she graduated with a degree in journalism, she fails to display a grasp of the English language that would reflect her education.
But you are right. A large proportion of the left did fear that someone who has displayed this much willful ignorance (of foreign policy, e.g.) could have been a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Amarissa, it's not about her gender, her "beauty" or her choices to attend five different colleges. For most thoughtful people who pay attention to politics and policy, it is about her integrity or lack of it. She seems to be able to spin the truth or actually lie with ease. She is an ultra conservative on womens issues. The issues of "choice" and gay marriage, she is for sure on the very very far right of those issues political spectrum. She advocates for "abstinence only." Emphasis on the "ONLY" part. Those are the concerns of most informed people, not her looks. She may be attractive as a women, what do I care, I'll never sleep with her. I care that she lies about her accomplishments and her positions with ease. I care that she can never admit her mistakes. I care that she blames the media for her "treatment." As I remember,she and the campaign announced that her daughter was unmarried and expecting a child. That was her doing, her choice, and thus her problem. NOT THE bad MEDIA. She claimed she said "thanks but no thanks" for the funds for the "Bridge to Nowhere." That was and is an outright lie. She never lobbied against the funds and actually accepted the money and also continued with a road to the "bridge." that is fiscal responsibility? that is conservatism? please.
It is appalling to see how miopic the mainstream media is and cannot take at face value what Sarah Palin has communicated. Face value without spin, the raw truth and of course the media does not know what to do with the bare truth that they have to go into some spin mode. Sarah Palin belongs to the sign of Aquarius. I share this sign and exact birthdate. What this means is: She is visionary beyond her time, she is rebellious, a free thinker, marches to the beat of her own drum, she is smart on her feet, she is unconventional. She will never fit into any box the media would like to put her in. She is smart enough to make a courageous decision and go against the grain to say "enough" I'm a laim duck and I choose not to spend my money or public's money defending frivolous claims. The ignorant media, of course, cannot wrap their head around this. Sarah has her eye on the ball and one day she is destined for Greatness!
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Conservatives have had it in for women for the past 10,000 years,when the concept of property began.Who fought against women' s right to vote? What color were the states that stopped ERA? most Democratic women backed Hillary.Progressive women don't like Palin for the same reason Progressive men don't.She is against women having a choice,she's anti-environment and she is part of the "Guns,God and (anti) Gays" crowd. It's not about women,it's about all of us.
I read somewhere a long time ago, that Princess Di and Sarah Palin were distant cousins.
That sort of explains their looks, but neither one was prepared for such a media bombardment on them. They both seemed rather like home body types.
I don't think they were famous because of great brains, they were great looking. Palin was never ready to be nominated as vice president. I am sure she never expected to be. Princess Di, was never ready for three in her marriage.
Maybe that says more about us than them.
No, dear heart, there were not three in little Di's marriage--there were FOUR. Don't you read? Di began her 5-year affair with James Hewitt in 1986, at the same time Charles got together again with Camilla. All covered in the press, tabloid and straight.
After Hewitt, your Di had a long string of one-night stands and boyfriends. She also started making a couple of hundred crank phone calls to a married man, Oliver Hoare, a London Eastern art gallery owner. All covered in the press, tabloid and straight.
Charles stayed faithful to one person, Camilla.
I'm certain you have "read somewhere a long time ago" many other stories you like to rely on to this day.
[VP Sarah Palin candiate a distant cousin to Princess Di - BostonHerald.com
... stunning news about Sarah Palin - who's been slammed in ... VP Sarah Palin candiate a distant cousin to Princess Di. Sarah-indipity. By Herald wire services ...] excerpted from http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/2008_10_09_VP_Sarah_Palin _candiate_a_distant_cousin_to_Princess_Di:_Sarah-indipity/
Of course I assumed you are as well read as moi, or I would have put my source up before you tore the concept down without any backup source. Sorry.
I think the comparison could focus on how neither of them were ready for what they were about to face.
Sarah Palin, was a governor of Alaska, where people bore bumper stickers saying coldest state, hottest governor.
Alaska also had, at the time she was elected good oil revenues. Very few people imagined that the price could fall the way it did that the economy could crashe the way it did, or how Madoff possibly singlehandedly created distrust in the global investment community now causing a "surprise" extended recession.
Palin was nominated for Vice President at probably the worst time in history. And probably as a diversion. I would think. That was not really fair to her. She was not ready. And I think Palin realizes she is being used a diversion. No one is talking to her seriously, or asking question that are easier to answer in context to her situation and what she knows.
Then Di, 19 years old, not old enough to drink in many states, when facing the public with her fiance, Prince Charles, she had to deal with his flip response to the question are you in love, of course we remember he said "what ever in love means". I am sure every mother on the planet, possibly including his own, gasped.
And then it went from there and got worse, became three in possibly a loveless marriage for Di. A woman who was way too young to be treated like that. In my opinion, that was how she was treated. I would suspect alot of what was going to happen was incredibly unexpected, cause she was being used, not really included as an active participant.
Life is full of disappointments. Some get mad, some breakdown, and some get even.
Getting even implies the playing field was never even in the first place.
Tina... good play by play analysis of the Alaskan point guard, but I have one question. Why hasn't John McCain been taken to task for choosing her and possibly placing this country in the hands of a narcissistic amateur politician. True, she didn't get elected but NOBODY has called into question this man's state of mind.
MOST SAW THIS COMING.
She bumbles through sentences as though she is tripping over her tongue. That's not English she is speaking, perhaps Mowgli can understand her burbles. The media must stop explaining away, and outright covering up the biggest political blunder in the history of this country. Vietnam veteran P.O.W., Senator John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. Get busy on correcting the record, and let history be the judge.
Huh? Forgot our recent past (luckily that is over with) Pres? Mr. Super Bumbler! All that these inept people tell me is that ANYONE, born in this country, can be president (this is America) and NOTHING should be taken for granted (such as a lofty Haaaarvard degree, as we have seen with the stupidity riddled people 'handling' our banks and other, similar institutions). Do agree with the assessment that she cannot handle stressful situations and should never been considered for VP - do agree with that, unlike Clinton, Rice, etc... McCain, should be taken to task for his decision.
So, in the final analysis, don't blame her being an idiot for her ineptness. As we know, there are plenty of quite stupid braniacs out there! Liked the discussion, but really don't see any similarity to her and Lady Di...
Winterstorm - My theory on McCain.....he has to stand by her including being almost a "shadow" agent praising her or face the ultimate question. To criticize him would mean facing the question, "then how could have ever considered choosing her."
It's all about preserving his legacy; McCain can't afford to let her effect his in a way she becomes the most important footnote to his history.
Isn't it interesting? I think she's now more famous than he ever was.
How about taking Obama to task for blowhard Biden? If tripping over your tongue was a crime, he would be in jail for life. I have never seen a more self-congratulatory person with less to congratulate himself for.
He is kind of a blowheart... not so mean spirited like she is which makes him more tolerable or likeable, but a blatherer non-the-less. Yes, would say you are right about that.
Well, McCain paid a price for his insane VP selection. The week of the election, Palin's negatives had risen to 69%. In the exit polls, almost 70% of voters held a negative view of Palin. That means that 15% of the vote McCain got was in spite of Palin not because of her. I think it would not be completely fair to say that she cost him the election but she certainly didn't help.
You are so right, WinterStorm. John McCain and William Krystle are to blame for picking her. They knew she wasn,t prepared to be a VP CANDIDATE for heaven's sake. Then they made her the ATTACK DOG of the GOP. They have a lot to answer for.
everyone is obsessed with the question if she will run 2012 but the real answer is right in front of our eyes and almost nobody sees it.
Go back and see how she became mayor and later governer. She never woke up one day and decided to become mayor or governer. All she did was fight corruption and did that in a honest bi-partisan way. Anyone forgot that she attacked big oil, corrupt republicans?
so put that in light of her current harassments with frivolous minutae. Her saying, I am done being governer, I don't care is not that strange after all.
so is she leaving public live? No. she also said that. What she will be doing is helping others get elected, talk about her values and most of all do what she has been doing best: fight corruption.
and this time, it may be corruption and anti-democratic behavior coming out of Washington. Exhibit #1 Pelosi with her 3 AM most urgent nonsense bill and strong arming bribery. And Obama with his 24 autocratic czars nobody confirmed.
running for office? that is not her calling. May be if people push her but that is not her current goal. She lived 44 years without even considering this as a possibility for her and I think it is fair to say that after 1 year of harassment by the media she is not interested in that job.
but fighting corruption from washington and anti-democratic behavior ? you betcha!
Sorry, what is public live?
And, uh, what is "governer?" Did you attend the same five colleges as Palin?
As for "talk about her values," you mean those of cutting and running? Can she please, please, pretty please teach those values to other Republicans so they, too, can cut and run from their elected office? Promise?
Darlin', you elected her to be the governor of your state based on her dual boob-quotient, and you got what you deserved - a boob with big boobs.
Tina,
Ridicule, the rapier of the intellectuals, is the highest form of flattery for it indicates fear and contempt. In this instance your fear is well founded. As for having contempt, well, you can't be an elite without it.
In the 1824 election, the self appointed eastern elites had their fun ridiuculing Andrew Jackson and his wife. So too are you/they having fun ridiculing Palin. When Jackson became president he did not forget or forgive. In Palin I sense the ghost of Jackson including his mean streak.
So, be afraid, very afraid, and, if it makes you feel better, keep the ridicule coming; but, I doubt it will matter. I suspect Palin is one of those rare individuals who will succeed or fail based on her own strengths and weaknesses.
People who have a tendency to conservatism always use this strange argument of fear. It was fear that governed us the last seven years. Perhaps we "intellectuals" as you call us use ridicule simply for fun.
Personally, I do not feel like part of an elite. Feeling somewhat lucky and happy I am not in Palin's position is not exactly contempt.
This person has asked for media attention for a while now - after the election when she could have been silent. If she can't stand the kind of public attention that is given her, she shouldn't have exposed herself this way.
Apart from that: This article does use some bits of "ridicule" but not much. It states Palin's mistakes (some of them) and personally, I find myself in a much more appeased mood with some sympathy for Sarah Palin. When I started reading that article, I wanted some fun, reading ridicule. This was not what I got from it.
So you wanted some "fun" reading ridicule. This whole crowd in power now reminds me of the "in-crowd" from high school. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Letterman, Tina Fey, Maureen Dowd, etc. They are the in-crowd who ridiculed those who weren't as "cool" as they were. And of course they are led by the ultimate cool guy - Obama.
So far, Ms Palin has yet to exhibit any strengths and her weaknesses are apparent for all to see.
No. Wrong. Fail.
Ridiculing Plain is like shooting fish in a barrel. its not because of fear, its because it is SO EASY and PLEASURABLE to see this ignorant aggressive hillbilly squirm. I LOVE that she quit politics and can only hope it is in exchange for Hollywood fame. She belongs on TV, NOT in politics. If she just once and for all stops trying to be a political heavyweight and leader, nobody will take issue with her.
"huntingmoose" comes closest to reality. Tina is all into fame and media. Gov. Palin shows her lack of media savvy, which adds to her attractiveness. It is because she is an ordinary person (like many of the Founders of the nation), who stood up to corruption that people love her. Politicians are fake images flattered by journalist sycophants. Ivy League elitist criminals love to play that game. Gov. Palin is not an false media image. Elite criminals (and Obama appointed tax cheats) brought the nation to its knees due to their incompetence. A degree does not convey common sense of which Gov. Palin has plenty. Palin made her decision with her family unanimously. I share her disgust at character assassination from highly educated elitist boobs who write for the MSM. They are shameless bullies. They make up lies and half-truths to destroy a courageous woman. They attack Gov. Palin and ignore the $787 billion stimulus bill that none of the Congress nor the President read. They ignore the $1 trillion cap-and-trade bill that 535 US Reps passed without reading. What are the priorities of these mindless overpaid empty suits and dresses who join the unwashed masses obsessing on a woman who does not have a (gasp!) trust fund? Is she feared because she is not a gangster like the Massachusetts politicians?
Sarah Palin is an ordinary person like our Founding Fathers??? Dear God - they will be spinning in their graves on that one! You obviously are one of the American multitude who know nothing about our own history.
The Founding Fathers were the cream of their respective colonies, erudite, eductated beyond belief, constantly questing and questioning the world around them. Many were rationalist and/or diests - eschewing Christianity for the idea that man was inherently good, not sinful - and that God, while real - was more of the "watchmaker" mode - having set the works in motion but not actively and intimately involved in every person's day-to-day. And let me stress once again - they were incredibly, incredibly educated.
And you dare to compare them to that half baked Alaskan Knowlittle??? A woman who talks about personal freedoms of choice while denying them out the other side of her mouth? Who's zealous Christian involvement leaves no tolerance for any other religion or person who doesn't toe the evangelical line? Why don't you make an actual fact checklist comparing the traits of each before you state something so incredibly foolish.
Sarah Palin as Founding Father..........that's my laugh of the day!
My laugh of the day as well & I'm forwarding to all my friends as we often try to figure out: "What kind of people support someone like Sarah Palin?" This is one of the best examples of proof that I've ever had. "Like many of the founders..." LOL & ROTFL! To some people I guess ignorance is bliss. (shakes head)
I'm a believer in divided government but this "courageous woman" has just resigned her governorship after losing interest...She is a mendacious quitter and this has been her pattern in life...Conservatives can do better.
Bush pour 1 trillion into Iraq, killing tens of thousands of its citizens in the process. Where was your financial/moral outrage during this debacle?
So Obama puts a trillion into the economy, perhaps to wrangle it out of recession and you complain? I guess you prefer your tax dollars to be spent killing innocent Iraqis.
Erm, have you forgotten the Palin ethics lapses currently under investigation?
Palin is a bully. They are unloved- male or female. Deal with it.
@menckenlite: "It is because she is an ordinary person (like many of the Founders of the nation)"
Actually the Founders of our nation were the Rockefellers of their day and most definitely the country's eighteenth century elite if you count by education, wealth, business success, political and social influence.
As for bullying here is some name calling from the Palin herself who has quite the reputation for bullying in her hometown and state (Barracuda was her highschool nic after all) for her opposition: "Muslim", "Socialist", "Unamerican", and the every useful "elitist".
Palin is no princess Di. she is just a quitter. and turning her lawyer on the media proves she doesn't know anything about free speech. There are related posts beginning at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588
How many times must Ms. Brown compare things to Princess Di. You knew her, we know. Oy!
I think comparing Palin to Princess Di is off base. A more accurate comparison would be Michael Jackson, however strange that sounds. Let's call it "death by fish bowl."
Palin's resignation was a decision based on strength, not weakness. It must have felt great to stand there and say in so many words, "You don't have Sara Palin to kick around anymore." Who needs the 24-hour scrutiny, the endless slights, the constant glare on her family and her life? She's going to swim out of the fishbowl and take control, and I applaud that whole heartedly.
I suppose the media feels it has lost their favorite punching bag. I'm curious to see who you'll choose to fill in the void.
If she wanted out of the fish bowl all she had to do was shut the F up and do her job. She put herself in the headlines by picking and protracting fights with David Letterman and others.
She is the writer, producer, director, and star of her own moose opera. She wanted the limelight and she got it.
Did she think fame was a one way street? All adoration all the time?
Deal with it sarah "I'm a Quitter" palin.
Palin refused to take the advice given her to go back to Alaska, do her job and study up on domestic and foreign affairs. The media didn't force her to get into a daily feud with a 19 year old. The media didn't make her try to foist off a notorious klansman on the state of Alaska as attorney general. The media had nothing to do with the 15 separates charges of ethics violation. The media didn't have her grandson's other grandmother arrested on drug charges. The media didn't have her sister-in-law arrested for B & E and home burglary. The media didn't have her schedule meetings with the legislature and fail to show up. She did all of those things to herself.
In at least 45 states, governors are having a very difficult time right now. They are having to work very hard and make unpopular decisions. They are all in conflict with their legislatures over cuts in services and raising revenues. Many of them are in the last 18 months of their term, but Palin is the only one breaking her oath of office and abandoning her state.
Obama, like Bush before, him gets 10 times the negative press that Palin ever thought about getting. It comes with the job. If she can't stand up to the local press, whatever would she do when she was criticized by the world press.
xlntcat, my feelings exactly. *applause* to you too.
Well said. Spot on!
xlintcat fool said:
Obama, like Bush before, him gets 10 times the negative press that Palin ever thought about getting.
of course.
slintcat also thinks racism was never a problem in America.
Sadie says: sure and little green men from Mars live in ur basement as well. we all know who mean and nasty the press has been to Barack Obama and how much kinder they've been to Hillary and Palin.
Just as we all know that blacks were treated way better than whites during the 50s and 60s in Selma!
get a clue about the planet you live on!
Palin's divisiveness is both her "strength and her weakness".
Only time will tell how the Sarah drama all shakes out.
Palin wasn't ready for prime time, and it seems both she and the media are having difficulties with it. Palin because she didn't understand there would be no privacy, and the media because they're losing a great punching bag. If anyone owes her an apology, it is the McCain camp for not vetting their V-P candidate a little better.
Dear Tina,
How I do love your view on two very famous women and their desires to balance life, privacy, family and yes, fun!
The difference, of course, is that Sarah Palin while still everyone's dog they love to kick and even as we have moved past the election into "hope" we still love to kick Sarah Palin not John McCain for choosing her but her for accepting her moment in time. Opportunity showed up and she took it.
Any person who has ever had opportunity drop in their lap knows that one must pass it by in order to be considered worthy of the initial calling. We never hear from those people and you and others never write about them. That's the funny thing about opportunity it may never come around again.
Diana, whom we love and still love to expose as, in refined terms or terms reserved for British men, randy. She was and her husband was responsible for their marriage. She is another female who saw opportunity, understood the possibilities, the negativities and chose it anyway. Again, opportunity showed up and she took it.
So these women had "meltdowns." Is there some other term that can be used that doesn't denote mental instability? Granted they both could be suffering from mental instability as they both chose opportunity when it was presented.
And yet, both women have changed history. They may not have been the most gifted academics, may have loved the pleasures of life a little too much for their positions, may have indulged even publically and made statements that can be traced to freedom. And yet, these kinds of women are the kind of women men love.
So, for the Sarah Palin's and the lady's-in-waiting and others hoping that opportunity will stop by - don't pass it by because it's rare that is shows up again.
And dear Tina, I do love your take on life and yet I wonder as it is obvious, your never pass on opportunity, what category do you fall into when looking at women who seized the moment grabbed the opportunity have changed history?
Kind regards,
Writerforhire
Add Tina Brown's name to the list of "Mean Girls" cited by Andrew Breitbart in his fantastic piece today. I guess you weren't big enough a celeb to make Breitbart's list of Maureen Dowd, Katie Couric, and Tina Fey as the Mean Girls. But you certainly deserve to be on the list based on your east coast snobbery. Honorable mention maybe?
Breitbart writes for the Moonie paper, the "Washington Times", not exactly a beacon of journalistic integrity. Breitbart has self-identified himself as Matt Drudge's "b**ch". Such credentials. Breitbart grew up in Brentwood, California, one of the wealthiest communities in the country. I love how your types get all worked up when someone uses the words "elite" or "coastal snobbery," Your guy Breitbart is KING of the elitist snobs-he just happens to share your love of all things Sarah.
We hate Sarah because she's dolt, a stupid, former pageant gal with nothing to offer.
Well, if she is so stupid, so incompetent, so inept why are people so upset about her? If she is that dumb, she should pose no danger to anyone?
opedanderson: She poses the same danger that George W. Bush posed in 2000. How much better off would we be today if that "stupid, incompetent, inept" man had not been elected president by the Supreme Court?
Rather than ridiculing and examining Sarah Palin again maybe we should take this opportunity examine the east coast establishment and why they think they are superior to the rest of us. Let's have them explain why they think they need to run our lives for us. The condition of Wall Street and the shape of the federal government, both of which they have run for years, prove they are not intellectually or morally superior to us. If anything it proves just the opposite. Maybe instead of Sarah Palin having some explaining to do the Ivy League east coast ruling elites have some explaining to do.
Why must you make it about "us against them". I am from a small town, and went to a state university. Does that mean I must agree with Sarah's worldview? I really, really don't like the "us against them" argument. It just hurts our democracy.
AlwaysOptimistic,isnt that the truth.!!!And how does all this name calling,"die scum bag"help our politics.we need 2 strong parties,although no one is going to have a chance till2016,But there is such us against them them against us.And those who hate her cannot stop talking, about her.Powerfull force out there,powerfull.All the hate hurts democracy for sure.i dont even like her politics,and by calling her names we are just like Limbaug
I am from the south and got my undergraduate degree from a state college. Does that mean that I have to either identify with the Ivy League east coast or with right wing extremists like Palin. I do remember during the campaign that John McCain said that he knew where the ELITE lived because that was where he lived, but it would be difficult for McCain to claim to be intellectually or morally superior to just about anyone.
Yes, as Lucy on A Charlie Brown Christmas pointed out even "Christmas is just an East Coast Syndicate racket, you know".
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Exactly. None of the descriptors the left applies to Palin (Hick, ignorant, uniformed, redneck, unserious, right-wing, inexperienced, and on and on) apply even remotely to Hillary Clinton.
Yet Brown, Dowd, the rest of Obama-loving media treated Hillary to the same sexist trash.
The point is that they hate women. Sorry, but the proof is in the pudding. You had an exeprienced, smart, competent, hardworking, serious, sophisticated progressive female candidate, and you trashed her too.
What's your excuse for that?
DKJamal; what is it with the hyperbole. no one wants to kill or trash or wish sarah palin to the corn fields. for some it is impossible to dismiss her glaring in-efficiencies. it is also impossible for me to accept a resume endorsed by bill kristol. the bill whose wizardry also endorsed a candidate of questionable talent named James Danforth "Dan" Quayle".
on both occasions it appears mr. kristol is willing to accept context over content; the husk over the kernel. which for neo -- cons is to benefit their Machiavellian need to control. create the vacuum, then fill it is their motto.
D.K.Jamal, you miss the point. There is still a lot of SEXISM in American life, but it's especially on the RIGHT, not the left. The right wants to take away a woman's right to choose abortion. Get out of the bedroom! You people are always talking about personal freedom, except for women. The left is sexist, too, but not as much. Hillary was trashed by both left and right because men don't like women in power. However, the left voted her in as Senator and now she is Secretary of State. Suck on that.
Get a grip and get real. Neither Ferrero, Clinton or Palin received any greater critique from the media than did their male counterpart. Any female who isn't prepared to follow her own agenda and ignore the criticism isn't fit to run the country. When you whine about sexism particularly when it doesn't exist, you alienate one gender - males, and insult the other, females.
There are both men and women who would never vote for a woman for president and there are those who would vote for her based solely on her gender. The sexism charge has become a crutch to hide behind when you aren't prepared, when you lie and get caught lying or when the other guy is beating you.
By the way, I am female and worked too hard to obtain an equal playing field for women not to resent political females exploiting their gender and whining about sexism every time they screw up.
Nice words. I'm sure Ms. Brown does her charitable share. Many liberals did not like HRC because she was same old, same old, and don't forget Bill Clinton was a GOOD REPUBLICAN PREXY, what with signing DOMA and shamefully backing down on gays in the military. Hillary voted for the Iraq War. Modern thinkers are tired of their old school stance.
Can a woman not criticize another woman without the endless carping by (probably male) jerks like opedanderson? Really, can't we get to a post feminist state and leave it at that? Oh, wait, that's right...we haven't got an ERA yet either!
Meltdown? The only meltdown that occurred is when 52% of Americans voted for our Daniel Ortega wannabee.
Talk about living in the past....he's in Russia right now negotiating arms reduction and a nuclear freeze. 1980 is over!
Meanwhile our economy is in a meltdown because the big-earred Marxist is having government running the economy. How's that working in California? Get paid recently?
Your resorting to name calling completely negates and makes invalid any argument you are trying to make.
You are exactly right. That is why the "bash Palin " crowd is completely irrelevant!
All personal attacks, from any and all sides are wrong. Period!
Honey, don't make me post a link showing you which administration conceptualized and doled out the 'stimulus package' to Wall Street.
Tina,
I have said for the last six months exactly what you have captured in this piece - Palin is the redneck version of Princess Diana. Famous for looks and that "common touch" - which in Palin's case is even more common.
Plus she packs a lot of social prejudice and narrow, evangelical fascism into that winsome, chirpy demeanor.
And the arrogance....dear God....the arrogance. Born of good looks (for a politician) and woeful intellectual ignorance.
You absolutely nailed it. This is why Daily Beast has become my first read of the morning. Great work - great article.
Tina Brown, this is again a very smug and poorly investigated article. Comparing Michelle Obama to Sarah Palin is ridiculous, one actually has responsibilities beyond their own family. Remember that from Sarah Palin's 2008 RNC speech? Lastly, Tina, Sarah Palin doesn't need advice from you as your only goal is for her to lose.
Yes, we do remember Palin's 2008 RNC speech which turned out to be a total fabrication. The "pit bull" turned out to be a shitzu with emotional problems. The "Thanks, but no thanks" turned out to be, well if that's all you'll let me get my grubby little fingers on - Thanks. Can't build that bridge to nowhere so I'll just take the money and build a road to no where. And that transcanada pipeline has yet to be started and Canada says it may never be started. Palin hasn't been fullfilling those responsibilities beyond her family or to her family. She has plunged in the polls and most of her supporters in Alaska have washed their hands of her. She quit when the going got tough. She broke her oath of office and abandoned her state.
Tina Brown you have a canny ability to clarify. Your analysis of the Pailin mystery is the most insightful yet. And your comparison with a Diana withdrawal is an apt and fascinating contribution to understanding the Governor's action.
Read it in the Washington Post, this morning, page 2:
"Governor Palin accomplished more in 21/2 years in office than most governors accomplish in one or even two terms here." - Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) on his soon-to be predecessor in an interview with "Fox News Sunday"
and by "accomplish" you mean "waste money and time and lie to voters"
Nice reference, dumbass.
How can you quote the person who has the most to gain from her quitting?
Why wouldn't he say something that positive? He is not the most objective source for that statement.
The fulminating opedanderson must be kidding. I won't claim to have read all Tina Brown, but seems to me she's always sticking up for women and I do remember some election piece about Hillary that reported how popular she was among women. Oped sounds like Wasilla's dog catcher,
LOL, well-stated
You may be giving Palin a little too much credit. Big difference between Diana and Sarah--(remember: Barracuda was Palin's nick-name in college!) Diana was truly beleaguered and naive about public performance and the media, although later she became wary and even somewhat coy, Palin always knew what the media could do for her. Granted, this tsunami of attention could not have have been predicted, but I wager the Barracuda has some surprises up her sleeve. She's nothing else if not a seasoned performer. I think the difference lies in sincerity. I believed Diana, I don't believe or trust Sarah one bit.
Who says so many people hate Sarah Palin?
Around 82% of MSM journalists are self confessed left or extreme left of center, so of course they don't like her, and they are the ones to blame for getting Obama elected.
The people that mock how she speaks are totally out of touch with reality, and I'm not talking about whether her grammar is correct or not.
She drew bigger crowds than McCain and came close to getting crowds the same size as the one, and that's pretty damn good for a running mate.
People that heard her speak live were overcome and full of praise.
http://tiny.cc/thebestorator
Obama clearly wants to destroy America's economic and military hegemony and slips in the polls every day.
Palin is presently the Republican Party's front runner and anybody it fields will defeat Obama in 2012.
So let's watch what happens.
Mike
"they are the ones to blame for getting Obama elected"
LOL!!! Yes news reporters have a hold on the govt!! That's it!
"Obama clearly wants to destroy America's economic and military hegemony and slips in the polls every day"
Yes, clearly indeed. He does slip in the polls everyday. Oh wait! http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx
And he's improved the nation/world more in 6 months than W could in 8 years.
Seriously though, do you just completely make things up and post them on here?? Spreading misinformation should be a crime..
Dream on.
Some who heard her speak were so disillusioned and frightened that they wrote long publish letters to the paper asking that she not be allowed back in town. Not everyone is comfortable in a crowd of KKK, white supremacists and right wing extremists screaming "kill him." I saw McCain military supporters take on the man with monkey in a parking lot right before McCain shut her down. By the end of the campaign, the crowds she drew were very small.
Palin has lost continuous support among the GOP. The last poll I saw had her at 13%. Romney, Huckabee and someone else was polling way ahead of her. Thirteen percent of the 21% who identify as republican is less than 3% of voters.
Please check this...
http://tiny.cc/thebestorator
Palin was and is one or the best speakers on the circuit and drew bigger crowds than McCain and some were close to the size of Obamas.
It's OK not to like her, but not OK to try and take away something that she has, which is charisma and oratory power.
Mike
Gee, redneck, you got it right about the mainstream media. The night before the election the editor of the local paper came over and threatened to cut my balls off if I didn't vote for Obama--so what else could I do?
Tina,
Wow did you get that completely wrong. Palin is only out for the celebrity and the money. She saw an easy way out and several ways to cash in with her pitiful and remaining 25% right wing Republicans. They will buy her book, come to her pre-paid rallies, and wallow in her idiotic lies and distortions. She does love your sympathy, Tina, but all she is and ever will be concerned with is "Face time and then show me the money!"
Very true. Although I don't think Tina was necessarily saying Di and Palin are similar in so many ways, just that their political celebrity roles are similar.
Obviously there are some differences... Di was a huge philanthropist, donating much of her time and money to underprivileged children; Palin is a self-proclaimed bulldog with lipstick who's favorite activities include: oppressing minorities, burning through limited natural resources, lying through her teeth to the public, having way to many kids, and spending taxpayer dollars illegally.
Yes, there are a FEW differences, but the fact that they're both attractive women in political roles is similar....
Thank you.
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